S14.E21: New Beginnings (2)

[thewhiteowl]

The NCIS team continues the case with ATF and the stolen military-grade weapons. Also, Callen and Anna decide on an impromptu wedding.

[threebluestars]

Too bad we didn't get an actual Hetty appearance, but I am thinking she set up going missing so Sam and Callen could find her, like some twisted present lol. It was nice to see Nell and Nate. Meh on Sabatino lol.

The Kensi pregnancy was expected, but I thought the actors did a good job in the scene.

Overall I think the show went off the rails years ago, so the finale was pretty underwhelming as it feels to me like it should've ended awhile ago.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Hetty wasn't there- is Linda Hunt in poor health?

I think the show should have ended around season 6 or 7 myself, but glad for the actors/writers/crew that they had a good long run.

But to see Deeks' Mom and Arkady together would have been comic gold.  Sorry we only got a hint of what could have been.

[CheshireCat]

22 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Hetty wasn't there- is Linda Hunt in poor health?

Not to my knowledge but she is 78 and, according to wikipedia, has hypopituitary dwarfism. I don't know what the latter means for her immune system or if she takes any medications that make her immune compromised but I understand if she wasn't comfortable taking the risk.

[MDL]

The actual episode was "eh" up to the wedding scene. The wedding scene was nice,but when I saw how much time (in the hour) remained, I became scared that "something horrible was going to happen"- a bomb killing everyone,etc.

Hetty's letter was a nice touch, and I really liked the "Morocco Mission", because  it brought back some old "friends" and it gave me(maybe only me???) comfort to see that in the world of the show, the team continues on with life.

 

[milkyaqua]

It was an ok finale but yes, the show could have gone off several seasons ago but yes, it did keep people employed.

I didn't expect to see Linda Hunt but it was nice seeing Nell and Nate and even Sabatino.

It'll be interesting to see what projects some of the cast members can wind up in or maybe what other directions they choose to take their careers/lives.

[Bobbin]

The few comments on this episode kind of confirms that maybe the show overstayed its welcone. I also was expecting sone kind of disruption to the wedding, which I guess Hetty's letter was, to the honeymoon anyway. The newlyweds weren't dismayed, so I'm not, either. The wrap sendoff right after was nice. As usual, the men have aged, but not the women (except Gerald McRaney -- how does he do it?). Happy trails, everyone.

[MissLucas]

I'm glad there were no last-minute wedding derailments and that they played it straight. Some great looks by all the ladies, Fatima's combo or orange and blue was stunning. I also enjoyed one last scene of Deeks going overboard with a distraction persona. And I wouldn't mind a spin off with Nina PI and her Double Dee-fender LOL! It was a nice surprise to see Nell, Nate and Sabatino again in the end. They stuck the landing - just a couple of seasons too late.

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by MissLucas

[Ceindreadh]

As finales go, it wasn't too bad.  I enjoyed it right up to the point where Nell showed up, because I never cared for the character.

I'm even more annoyed because, unless I'm misinterpreting, it was Nell who contacted Callen to get him and Sam to Morocco to help rescue Hetty, which means that that lovely heartfelt letter that was purportedly from Hetty, was actually a forgery by Nell.  And I am unreasonably annoyed/disappointed by that.

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, Ceindreadh said:

I'm even more annoyed because, unless I'm misinterpreting, it was Nell who contacted Callen to get him and Sam to Morocco to help rescue Hetty, which means that that lovely heartfelt letter that was purportedly from Hetty, was actually a forgery by Nell.  And I am unreasonably annoyed/disappointed by that.

Yeah, I was also confused by that and wondered if I missed something or if something ended on the cutting room floor. If the letter was not by Hetty then doing a voiceover with Linda Hunt's voice (or someone sounding like her) is a real weird move.

[theredhead77]

 

I enjoyed this finale and the series was like an old friend helping me wind down the weekend. As crazy as it could be, I'm going to miss it. Glad there were no last-minute wedding hi-jinx. Loved that Deeks and Kensie told Rosa what was up and that she was going to be a big sister. There was no unnecessary drama about Rosa's place in the family, and it just added extra cement to her place in the family. I liked the conclusion of the Rountree lawsuit storyline. You could feel the mixed feelings about the outcome.

 

20 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Hetty wasn't there- is Linda Hunt in poor health?

 

 

19 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Not to my knowledge but she is 78 and, according to wikipedia, has hypopituitary dwarfism. I don't know what the latter means for her immune system or if she takes any medications that make her immune compromised but I understand if she wasn't comfortable taking the risk.

The special that ran after the episode said Linda Hunt has been off-set the past few years due to health issues.

 

2 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

I'm even more annoyed because, unless I'm misinterpreting, it was Nell who contacted Callen to get him and Sam to Morocco to help rescue Hetty, which means that that lovely heartfelt letter that was purportedly from Hetty, was actually a forgery by Nell.  And I am unreasonably annoyed/disappointed by that.

 

51 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Yeah, I was also confused by that and wondered if I missed something or if something ended on the cutting room floor. If the letter was not by Hetty then doing a voiceover with Linda Hunt's voice (or someone sounding like her) is a real weird move.

I was also confused but I'm writing my own outcome - she wrote the letter before her mission went sideways because, while she didn't know the wedding was going to be moved up, she did know there was going to be a wedding. The only missing link is how Nell got the letter with airfare to the courthouse with no notice.

[UncleChuck]

3 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

...The only missing link is how Nell got the letter with airfare to the courthouse with no notice.

Well, obviously--Nell has become the "new Hetty" and has somehow inherited Hetty's mysterious powers.

[roamyn]

Sad to say, this was an underwhelming episode, to say the least.

While it was nice to see Nell, Nate & Sabatino, I missed Beale (& Hetty of course).  Tho Nell had become a Mary Sue the last year or two and her appearance here didn't change that.

The retrospective aft was nice, but ultimately only good for one thing:  remembering Miguel Fererra (Owen Grainger).  ECO's comment that the didn't get to say goodbye, hit hard.  I knew Daniela was married to ECO's brother, but I didn't realize Dave was his stunt double.  And I immediately thought "new guy" looked a lot like Chris.  It was his eldest son. 

[Twilight Man]

I recognized him immediately as well.   I have seen him standing with Chris and the rest of the family at some premieres

where he brings his whole family.

I'm surprised they did not "hang a lampshade on it" and have Sabatino say

"Hetty recommended him.  She said that he reminds her of a younger Callen."

[HawaiiTVGuy]

Maybe it was just me, but even when they ID'd Nell, I kept thinking that didn't look like her at all.  Maybe with the scarf?  Oh well, I am guessing it is implied that one or both of Kensi and Deeks are leaving NCIS for good because of the baby.  I know Deeks has been the one that has been wanting to leave, so maybe Kensi goes on maternity leave from today on and then Deeks leaves so that Kensi can go back to NCIS maybe 6 months after the baby is born?  OR maybe Kensi has a change of heart and realizes she doesn't want to have such a risky job now that she has a kid? 

[KittenPokerCheater]

On 5/22/2023 at 4:43 PM, Ceindreadh said:

it was Nell who contacted Callen to get him and Sam to Morocco to help rescue Hetty, which means that that lovely heartfelt letter that was purportedly from Hetty, was actually a forgery by Nell.  And I am unreasonably annoyed/disappointed by that.

I've decided "Nell" was actually Hetty in disguise, and we missed her pulling off her mission impossible style mask* to reveal that actual mission.


*That's my story and I'm sticking to it
😎😂

[123BP]

I found the finale meh. Too much time spent on the case nobody cared about. Switch and Mr. Carl should've gone undercover, not Switch with Nina--an unimportant character. Callen & Sam going undercover would've brought the show full circle--they went undercover in the very first episode.

The letter wasn't from Hetty. It was from Nell (that's according to Gemmill), so the letter's message meant zilch. It was really impersonal anyway--a cliche statement about "family."

The wedding was, like 3 minutes. All those scenes in earlier episodes about planning it were a waste (Gemmill planned on dragging the wedding planning stuff out in season 15--they weren't going to be married this season until the show was cancelled).

OMG, and Arkady and Roberta would've been the worst! They would never be a couple, but Gemmill would do anything to make Arkady Deeks' father-in-law because there's no way he'd do any storylines about Callen and Arkady--even though Arkady is Callen's oldest friend and married to Arkady's daughter. (It seemed like Gemmill never liked Callen. That effort to make Pembrook into a guy who was sorry for what he did and suggested Sam as his partner was one of the the dumbest things ever.)

Liked the characters, but the show's direction after season 8 has been way off.

[Maverick]

 My take was that the handwritten letter was from Hetty, but the additional letter/plane tickets were from Nell.   I assumed Hetty gave Nell the letter to be delivered whenever the wedding occurred because she would probably be unable to send it much less attend.  Having both letters come from Nell is a shitty move.

[CheshireCat]

3 hours ago, Maverick said:

 My take was that the handwritten letter was from Hetty, but the additional letter/plane tickets were from Nell.   I assumed Hetty gave Nell the letter to be delivered whenever the wedding occurred because she would probably be unable to send it much less attend.  Having both letters come from Nell is a shitty move.

This from a TV Line interview with Gemmill sounds like your take was correct.

Quote

Talk about your approach to involving Hetty to the degree that you did in the series finale.
It wouldn’t have been a series finale without some element of Hetty, and we felt like she — being all knowing and all seeing — would have known about the wedding somehow. Somebody must have gotten word to her. Her relationship with Callen has always been somewhat of a mother/son relationship, so it only seemed fitting for her to weigh in and also remind Callen that he has a family just like she did, but it’s the NCIS family and not necessarily his immediate family that he was always looking for.

https://tvline.com/lists/ncis-los-angeles-series-finale-recap-hetty-rescue-kensi-pregnant/hetty-letter-linda-hunt/

(On a side note, I'm not sad that we didn't get to see more about Kilbride's son. I was never a huge fan of Deeks character but he was on the show since S2 or 3 and he never actually got a Deeks, M. episode. I think before they focus on some late addition's personal story, they should have focused on that. Sometimes I feel that the showrunners/writers get excited about a new character because it gives them new avenues to explore without realizing that the viewers come back every week because of the existing characters and don't necessarily share their excitement about the new characters because it's not who they care about or want to care about).

[123BP]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:30 AM, CheshireCat said:

Talk about your approach to involving Hetty to the degree that you did in the series finale.
It wouldn’t have been a series finale without some element of Hetty, and we felt like she — being all knowing and all seeing — would have known about the wedding somehow. Somebody must have gotten word to her. Her relationship with Callen has always been somewhat of a mother/son relationship, so it only seemed fitting for her to weigh in and also remind Callen that he has a family just like she did, but it’s the NCIS family and not necessarily his immediate family that he was always looking for.

Interesting he said this in this interview because his answer on an interview on TVInsider was a little less clear about who wrote the letter:

Nell used subterfuge to bring Sam and Callen to Morocco for the mission to rescue Hetty. Was the letter from Hetty but the “side project” bit from Nell, or was it all Nell?

That was basically Nell’s way of getting our boys to Morocco to help Hetty because they had wanted to go earlier, but Kilbride [Gerald McRaney] had sort of put the kibosh on that. So the whole plan was, Nell sort of got them under some sort of a little bit of false pretenses because Hetty was theoretically in trouble, but it was also a good excuse to bring back Nell and Sabatino and Nate and the young man who was there was actually Chris O’Donnell’s real son.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1093566/ncis-la-series-finale-kensi-pregnant-callen-sam-rescue-hetty-nell/

Maybe Gemmill didn't know who wrote the letter. It wouldn't be the first time there was confusion in one of the episodes. I find his explanation--Hetty leaving a note with Nell, who was in Japan last we knew--pretty far out there. If she was gonna leave a note, why not leave it at OSP or with Sam or Kilbride? No matter who wrote it, it was impersonal and not the kind of note a mother would write to her "son" on his wedding day imo.

Edited May 31, 2023 by 123BP

[catsitter]

Does anybody know whether Randy Couture, who played Bill Newsome, was L L Cool J's stand in, or maybe stunt double, please?

[LittlePeas3]

For finales, I think it was ok. 

I'm glad they wrapped up Kensi and Deeks with a pregnancy, I kind of expected it some how. The wedding was sweet. 

The thing that miffed me the most was Nell. While I didn't mind seeing her and Nate, Sabatino could jump off a cliff for all I care, didn't Nell and Beale leave NCIS because it became too stressful and she didn't want to become Hetty? I didn't think she wanted to take over from Hetty. 

[Bobbin]

On 5/24/2023 at 2:22 AM, HawaiiTVGuy said:

Maybe it was just me, but even when they ID'd Nell, I kept thinking that didn't look like her at all.  Maybe with the scarf?  Oh well, I am guessing it is implied that one or both of Kensi and Deeks are leaving NCIS for good because of the baby.  I know Deeks has been the one that has been wanting to leave, so maybe Kensi goes on maternity leave from today on and then Deeks leaves so that Kensi can go back to NCIS maybe 6 months after the baby is born?  OR maybe Kensi has a change of heart and realizes she doesn't want to have such a risky job now that she has a kid? 

I think they both need and deserve new vocations, like parenthood and bartending. Or LAPD Acadeny instructor. They've paid their dues many times over.

[Notwisconsin]

This is the SERIES finale?!?!?!?!? I had it on the DVR for months and didn't know.

[Notwisconsin]

On 5/28/2023 at 4:30 AM, CheshireCat said:

I was never a huge fan of Deeks character but he was on the show since S2 or 3....

He was there from the beginning, sort of, as a guest star who had a three-episode arc early in season one. They brought him back near the end of that season and he was a regular starting Season two. 

 

[webruce]

On 8/12/2023 at 5:10 PM, Notwisconsin said:

This is the SERIES finale?!?!?!?!? I had it on the DVR for months and didn't know.

I didn't know either. I like the side project to save Hetty. I had always thought that Sam or Kensi was going to break off and work a series with Lance "Bill Goldberg" Hamilton. 

I don't think Sam and Nina Barnes would last as a series. 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by webruce

[Sweet Tooth]

I thought for sure I missed something, and there was another episode, as they showed the cast afterward all weepy, and Barrett Foa was there, so I thought for sure there was another episode where we saw him. It seems strange to not have him in the episode at all.

ETA: The "man and wife" thing bugged the hell out of me. They don't say that anymore. I can't believe it's still used in some shows.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Sweet Tooth